Doki Doki Literature Club: Fitter and Happier
by TakuyaSamaKun
Summary: College student Takumi Shogo is an avid gamer and computer programmer. But after finishing the visual novel Doki Doki Literature Club, rumors of a secret ending spread across the web. With the helpful but suspicious tip from the username 'Soma', Takumi finds himself caught between the differences of fantasy and reality.
1. Coded Reality

**Chapter 1**

 _ **Coded Reality**_

It all started on September 22nd, when the visual horror game Doki Doki Literature Club first came out. Right from the get-go the game quickly blew up with popularity, becoming a fan favorite in visual horrors and unique characteristics. Twenty-year-old Takumi Shogo finds himself to be an expert when it comes to visual novels of all kinds. Motivated by sheer excitement, his desire to unlock the truth and what endings the developer had planned. Despite being a hermit, in the real world he was just a regular college student who stayed in the campus dorms. During his free time, he would surf the internet, playing video games, or mess around with computer coding. The daily life, really. Outside of this life style, he kept up with his studies pretty fairly and got along with everyone he met.

 **["I-I love you!"]**

"Yes." Takumi muttered under his breath while image on the screen changed to the protagonist hugging Sayori. In all the hours spent on achieving every single ending, rumors spread that there was actually a hidden ending in the game other than the one the developer offered. Many theories had begun appearing on social media formats, but many were fake which lead to the downfall of this false claim. Even the developer of DDLC denied there was ever an actual hidden ending. Despite this, Takumi continued to search for this false claim himself.

Now approaching the death of Sayori. Her hanging body left in the back of the game's window. Takumi rumbled through DDLC files, deleting, copying, saving. Even as going so far in messing with the game's codes. But even that didn't make any sort of progress whatsoever.

Spending the whole day reliving each character text and choices, there was no sign of that particular ending. With all hope gone down the drain, his wasted day seemed all for naught. "God damn it." Was all he could sum up in his efforts. Giving his body a good stretch after sitting in his computer chair all day. His arms and legs were stiff enough that they started to cramp up.

Night was approaching and classes started early tomorrow. _Better get to bed_ he thought as morning came by fast. Hurrying into his pajamas, he made a quick effort to scramble up something to eat before bed. A sandwich or two could work. Maybe wash it down with a fizzy drink. Just as he was about to hit the sack, a notification appeared on his computer. Now it was completely normal to get messages from other users on Steam. Upon reading the message, the user under the name 'Soma' gave a brief description on how to unlock the supposedly secret ending. To Takumi, this was a whole lot of bullshit.

He didn't want to be reminded of his solid efforts in trying to find this hoax. But he would humor the guy with a little honesty and reluctantly read the instructions. It all seemed good to be true, too simple for him to do. "Apply a code?" Carefully reading the next sentence, the unknown user continued to persuade Takumi in trying out his theory. If it was full proof then why in the world would he want him to do this? Not that he cared much. But something about the other user felt off. It was a strange feeling all the same, although the faster he can finish this, the faster he can catch some sleep.

Following the instructions word for word; opening up the game's files and codes, Takumi finally managed to reach the end of the rope. Still having doubts that this would actually work, he ended up doing it anyways. More or less, it only took him a couple of minutes. On the screen were programming coding to the game itself. What he did was only alter the numbers and entered the codes given to him by the other Steam user. Once the preparations were complete the rest of the coding continued to overwrite itself in an orderly fashion. "What a relief. "He said, rebooting the game. Much to his surprise, the intro usually shown was now a black screen with the words ' **Waiting for game** ' written across.

This puzzled him to the point of asking Soma for any sort of explanation. _C'mon ya basterd_. There was a brief silence before the user could give any sort of reply. "Thank you." Was the only response they'd given despite all the trouble he went through to import the codes. "You got to be kidding me." Before he knew it, the user went offline in an instant. Causing his suspicions to arise to the point of paranoia. It wasn't the fact that he couldn't give a proper explanation but the fact all of this could've been a trap that he could hack into his system using the game mechanics. Although nothing of the sort was ever done before, at least by the game itself. If he was ever to hack into his computer then he would need to corrupt the source before actually taking control. Spending a few more minutes searching every inch of his computer data for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. But there was nothing. _Nothing of the sort_.

With a sigh of relief. "Thank god." Relieved that nothing had happened to his computer. If the code he imported into the game were to trigger something, then that would only mean Soma's theory would prove to be correct after all. This riled his excitement but quickly swayed it away from his sleep deprived body. Before slipping into bed, he closed the browser and began shutting down his computer. With all the programs closing, next came a black screen where the main PC drive turned off. Shutting off all the lights, the room was enclosed in darkness besides the street lights emitting through the small cracks through the blinds. Can't wait for tomorrow he thought before shutting his eyes. Slowly drifting into a deep slumber.

...

...

...

 _ **Is anyone there?**_

 _ **Can anyone hear me?**_

 _ **Hello?**_

 _ **I know you are-**_

 _ **AHS3#Y 92# GS I8DMER SAWR DJSHWNE1342 2321JANSDJASD #! #SSAAS**_

 **[Starting game]**

* * *

 **Chapter end**

 **Author's notes:**

 **Haven't did any writing in forever but I found the urge to write something for DDLC. The game did hit me harder than it should and it was fantastic game until the very end. This chapter is short but bittersweet. Longer chapters will be written in the future. Anyway, get a cup of tea, sit down, and enjoy the journey of Fitter and Happier. -TSK**


	2. Nightmare and Daydreams

**Chapter 2**

 **Nightmare and Daydreams.**

 _ **Hey.**_

 _ **Hey!**_

 _ **Wake up!**_

A sweet, delicate, unfamiliar voice called out from the depths of a midnight dream. _Just a few more minutes_. Before Takumi could catch the last minutes of his sleep, a soft poke against his cheek caused him to open up his eyes. Slowly lifting up his head, his blurry vision caught a glimpse of someone in front him. Now appointed to his surroundings, he blinked twice only to realize he crashed out on the desk inside of a classroom.

"Jeez. You shouldn't be sleeping in a place like this!" The girl said.

"Huh?" Finding his glasses on the corner of the desk, he quickly slipped them on only for him to freeze in place upon discovering the girl in front.

"S-Sa.. yori?" Shocked and surprise, he had almost choked on his own words.

"That's me!" Her cheery attitude was bright like sunny days, but showed concerned after realizing Takumi's silence and expression.

"What's wrong? It's like you've seen a ghost."

"It's just-" It was much more than just seeing ghost or paranormal beings, rather seeing this strange phenomenon. This had to be a dream.

 _It had to be_.

"Earth to Takumi." Catching his attention, Sayori ignored personal space and found her face close to his.

"I-I was just surprised. That's all." With an awkward smile and laugh, he leaned back a bit to gather his own space.

"Is that so?" She leaned back to her straight posture, followed by her cheery smile.

"Well I'm just about to head to the club room. Are you ready?"

"Ah." He'd seen this all before, but experiencing it in person was all too good to be true. Just moments ago he was back in his own bed. _This had to be a dream, right?_ The words repeated like a broken record. Staring at the palms of his hands, he curled his fingers into a fist to see if his sense of feeling was there.

"Takumi?" Sayori called out. Taking notice of his unusual behavior.

"Sorry. I've had a long night." Giving her reassurance that he was okay, despite all this being nothing more than a dream.

"You go on ahead. I'm going to use the rest room."

"Alright! I'll see you there!" Her excitement was so riled up that she left in a hurry, disappearing around the corner of the hallway. Leaving Takumi in his seat.

 _Calm down._

 _Just calm down._

It was hard to just pretend everything was normal when clearly this all seemed unreal. His sense of feeling and smell were there. This wasn't just a _dream_. Questions began to flood his mind as he tried to figure out how he got here.

"This can't be real. It can't be." Sitting there for a few good minutes, he finally managed to get up from his seat. Looking around the empty classroom as the sound of students can be heard from outside.

"It just can't." Now exiting the classroom, he heading down the hallway, searching for any nearby washrooms. Passing by a few students along the way, he found the boys washrooms at the end. With nobody occupied he went straight towards the sinks to wash his face. Upon looking into the mirror, he'd only come to realize that he was wearing the school's uniform. Every new discovery was a surprise to him. Being in the actual game and the school no less, it was scary. Maybe a blessing to others. But not Takumi. If this was really a dream then he'd had to wake up sooner or later. _Right?_ Letting out a sigh, he turned both hot and cold taps on white a stream of warm water fell. Taking off his glasses, he set them near the taps. Cupping his hands under to fill across the brim, he leaned forward to splash the water on his face. The feeling was as real as him. Doing this a couple more times, he reached for the paper towel dispenser, pulling down a few papers to dry off his features. Looking back into the mirror while he turned off the water. Blurry but visible.

"I got to wake up somehow." His solution was easier said than done as he didn't know how to wake up in the first place. Usually dreams end at random times without a valid reason. If that were true then maybe killing enough time, he would wake up sooner or later.

 _Just a dream._

Slipping back on his glasses he headed back out into the hallway, briefly remembering to meet the other members of the literature club. Wherever that is. The school was new to him in every aspect, almost like a maze. Luckily there were still a few students hanging around. Finding a couple of male students near the stairwell, he approached them casually.

"Do you guys know where the literature club is?"

"Yeah, third floor, classroom 3E."

"Thanks." Climbing up the flight of stairs to the third floor and into the next corridor, he looked left and right for the nearby classroom that will lead him to the literature club. Hanging to his right, he followed the classroom signs above the door. While on his way he couldn't help but notice the other clubs inside the classrooms. Only catching a glimpse of their activities, they all seemed so lively, despite this being a game. Or a _different reality_. He thought.

Upon reaching classroom 3E's doors, he stood there completely still, thinking whether or not if he should meet the rest of the girls. His heart sank on the thought of experiencing the horrors that await him. The consequence of the choices in order to achieve the true ending. And with one deep breath, he slid the door open to reveal the other members gathered around a couple of desks lined together. The sound caused them to turn into his direction, cuing Sayori to greet him with a warm welcome.

"Takumi! You made it."

"Yeah, I guess I did." Rubbing the back of his neck, he shut the door behind him and approached the little group.

"Welcome Takumi. Sayori told us great things about you." Monika stood up from her seat, offering a sweet, but friendly smile.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I'm Monika, the Literature club's president. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The feeling is mutual."

"Sayori here is our vice president. And these two are, Natsuki and Yuri." Monika pointed out to the other individuals.

"You didn't tell us you were bringing a boy, Sayori." Natsuki huffed.

"Eheh, but at least we'll have a new member. P-Plus! Takumi hasn't joined a club yet, so this is a opportunity for him!" Sayori as usual, stuck up for the main protagonist, or rather, him.

"Yeah, whatever." The pinkette replied in a unamused manner.

"U-Uhm, it's nice to meet you. Takumi." Yuri who stuttered under her words, her shyness showing upon her features.

"Nice to meet you to." He said.

"Why don't you take a seat? Natsuki made muffins so help yourself!" Monika offered nothing but hospitality.

"Thanks."

Takumi followed the sequence in the game and sat between Sayori and Monika. Everything was as it should be, but flawed in some details. There was no text or dialogue and things were a bit more real. Takumi reached for one of the muffins that were placed on the tray in the middle, he couldn't help but notice Natsuki sneaking quick glances at him. As if to pose any reaction in trying her baked goods. Upon close inspection, the muffin was in a neat, cute presentation; containing pink frosting as the base with little star sprinkles on top. Pulling the muffin close to his lips, he took a bite near the main flavor. The first few chews caused him to widen his eyes on how rich the taste was. Delicate and sweet.

"It's good." He muttered as he took another bite.

"Isn't it? Natsuki is the best when it comes to baking." Monika stated.

"I-It's nothing special!" Natsuki protested as she hid her embarrassment.

"But it's true Natsuki. Your baking is the best!" Sayori added.

"Would you like some tea, Takumi?" Yuri who was usually the shy one, showed a more mature, elegant demeanor than just moments ago.

"Yeah, that'd be great." Taking up the offer, Yuri quickly went to fetch the tea set.

"So, Takumi. What made you interested in the Literature Club?" Monika questioned.

"Ah-" _Now what was it? The muffins and tea were the best, and the girls were beyond cute_ -

"Sayori suggested it, so I just figured I'd give it a try." Obviously lying, it wasn't like he had much of a choice to come here. After all, this was merely a dream. A good one at that. The only thing he wanted at this very moment was to wake up and get back to reality.

"Is that so? Well you're always welcomed here!"

Takumi couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, fully knowing the backstory of these characters, and what they are capable of. Especially Monika. She knew well enough that this was just all a game, and the reality she desired to be in was on the other side of the screen. The feeling of loneliness could drive anyone mad, even if the close friends of yours are merely following a script.

"What do you say, Takumi. Do you plan on joining?" Sayori spoke, a glitter in her eyes as she stared into Takumi's hues.

"I haven't decided yet."

"Ehhhh? But you said you'll give a try just a few minutes ago." She wined.

"I know, I know." He tried to reassure her that his decision was still unknown.

"H-Here's your tea." Yuri carefully set the tea cup down in front of Takumi.

"Thanks, again."

Taking the cup, he slowly put it against his lips, having a few sips of the warm beverage. Sweet like honey with a rich flavor, this was truly the best tea he'd ever had in such a long time.

"So, did you just come for the Muffins and Tea?" Natsuki interrupted.

"I uh,"

"Now, now Natsuki. We're the ones who offered him our little treats." Monika said.

"I know that! I just don't want him to join because of the food." She protested.

"Takumi said he was interested in the Literature club, so he isn't just here because of your muffins. Right, Takumi?" Sayori spoke, putting him on the spot.

But he couldn't figure out what else to say, he just sat there with a nervous looking smile, hoping for someone or something to pull him out of this situation. Lord knows that there was no such excuse to escape the stares from these girls. All he could muster up was having another sip of his tea before breaking the news.

"This is great and all. But I'm sorry, I don't think I'm cut out to be in the Literature Club." Giving an honest response to the three girls, a frown of disappointment was written across their facial features.

"Is this really what you want?" Sayori asked.

"Yes, this is my final decision." He said, setting the tea cup back on the table.

"Hmph!" Natsuki huffed, clearly upset.

"I guess there's no helping it." Monika let out a chuckle to hid her disappointment.

"Thank you for the tea and muffins. They were really good." He stood up from his seat and bowed before leaving out the door. But before he could even make his way out, a tug on his arm stopped him in place. Looking back only to see it was Monika.

"Wait! Are you sure you don't want to join?" She asked.

"I'm sure. I've got to be somewhere right now."

"I see." With her failed attempt to change his mind, she released her clutch on the fabric on his jacket.

"I'm only doing what's best..." She muttered under her breath.

"Have a good day." One last part away, Takumi left the room, closing the door behind him as he retraced his steps. Coming towards the stairs, a jolt of static rang inside his ears as if he was hit in the head with a heavy object. Causing a slight painful reaction to check if there was any damage. To his discovery, a warm drip of liquid ran down the end of his ear. Wiping it off with the tips of his fingers, the smear of blood caused his heart to turn upside down.

"What the hell...?" He checked again only to find his ear was bleeding from inside, as if it was having a nose bleed. _I got to get out of here_. Quickly heading down the stairs to the first floor, passing by the occasional students and teachers. Coming into the shoe lockers, the thought of changing into his outdoor footwear hadn't crossed his mind once.

 _Only a dream._

 _Just a drea_ -

He was in a hurry to get home, or wake up from this strange dream, as nothing in this world felt real to him. As if this was just all a simulation and he was the only real person alive to recall the lies built upon happiness and fantasy. Just straight ahead were the main doors, pushing them open to reveal the schoolyard. The surrounding area felt very familiar to him as if he'd been here before, but he couldn't recall where or when. Shaking off the thought, Takumi continued down the steps and towards the main gates.

Before he could even make it pass, the same static tone rang with an ever-greater force caused Takumi to fall to his knees, screaming in pain. Despite covering his ears to ease the pain, the pressure in his eardrums begin to tighten up as if they were on the verge of blowing up. The intense pain was too much for him, falling over on the ground until his body had begun to twitch due to experiencing the damage caused by the unknown source.

 _ **Make it stop!**_

 _ **MAKE IT STOP!**_

 _ **JUST MAKE IT STOP!**_

While his yells turned into screams of agony, the ground itself had begun to shake immensely. Buildings ripped apart, crashing, toppling over like dominoes. The bright blue sky turned into a pool of darkness as the world around him shifted, bended, turning into nightmarish dream that he would like to wake up from. Just as he was about to pass out, the ringing inside his ears had begun to fade away until there was complete silence. His body, shaking from the pain as his hands felt the warmth of fresh blood pouring from his ear holes. Feeling nauseous, sick to the stomach upon seeing his blood stained hands caused him to throw up.

"This can't be real..."

With a few more chucks, the icky mess left a foul taste in his mouth as he began to clean himself up using the jacket he was wearing. Wiping away the blood from his hands, a fade of redness was still seen on the palms. But it was good enough, for now. Struggling to get up on his feet, he went into shock as the environment around him had changed drastically. It was like something out of a bad horror movie, the really bad ones. The kind that eats away at your fear.

He just stood there, dumbstruck, unable to find the words to describe the situation. _This is fucked. So, fucked._ Still feeling woozy, he carried on into the street where a few street lamps were lit. The place itself was so dark he couldn't make out some of the buildings or houses. Looking back, the school was still the same, untouched. He wondered why everything else was destroyed but the school building. At this point he didn't care about anything then getting out of here.

"Home. I got to make it home." He said, making his way up the street.

Thirty to forty minutes have passed since he left the school, and not a single person was to be seen across this dead wasteland. It had never occurred to him that he might be the only last living soul. Trapped inside of his own nightmare. He convinced himself that this was all a bad dream, and that sometime he'll eventually wake up. It had to be, he clearly remembered falling asleep in his bed in the campus dorms. Where everything was peaceful, his safe zone, his place of salvation. He wanted to wake up so bad.

"Where the hell am I?" Examining his surroundings, the street names were unfamiliar to him, even the train stations that he passed by.

Looking above, the sky made him feel uneasy, as if the darkness was about to swallow everything whole in one swoop. After one street and another he walked in the direction he felt was right, although he started to feel tired along the way. Stopping at the end of the street, Takumi sat down along the edge of the curb, catching a bit of rest before continuing. The urge the throw up again came by like mood swings, but he wouldn't allow it. Not again. It was horrible to vomit - not as horrible of the noise he encountered before. Just thinking about it gave him a headache. As he sat there, the faint sound of footsteps caught his attention. Looking to his right, a short dark figure of a person was just down the street. Happy to know that he wasn't the only one in this fucked up place, he called out:

"Hey! You there! Can you tell me what's going on!?"

But there was no response.

"Are you alright?" He said, approaching the other person.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a female, but he came to a sudden stop upon realizing the girl's strange behavior. She wasn't moving, nor did she make any kind of contact.

"I was just trying to-" The sound of large crack broke his sentence as the girl turned towards him, dragging her feet across the pavement.

"Urgk.. Urgk.." As if she was choking on her own words, she walked into the light, revealing her bare feet and pale white lifeless legs.

"What the fuck." He quickly turned around and broke into a sprint before he could see anything else. Running as fast as he can, he made it at least a couple blocks down the street. Briefly looking back, he found that she was nowhere to be found. Until the sound of her footsteps came from behind. His heart sank. Slowly looking back, he could see her running towards him.

"Shit!"

With no time to think he ran down the alley way as the girl followed him, despite losing his breath he kept on running no matter what. Fearing for his life. Terrified. The sound of her choking grew louder by the second as if she was just right behind him. Before he could even make it at the end of the ally, something tight wrapped around his neck. Causing him to fall flat on his back and pulling him up into the air. His legs violently kicked as the object around his neck closed up into a big knot. Desperately trying to get his fingers underneath, the tightness was to great that the weight of his body was preventing from doing so. Choking, his vision had begun to blur until darkness slowly enveloped his eyesight. And for one last instant, he knew this was the end. No more pain. No more suffering.

 **Hey!**

 **Wake up!**

 **Jeez, you shouldn't be sleeping in a place like this.**

 **Chapter end**

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

 **I had fun writing this chapter, although I'll be taking a short break from this story to focus on my other fanfics. I've wrote a short summary on the third chapter so It'll be a lot easier to write it all down in the future. Anyway, hopefully you'll enjoy this one and could probably guess where I'm going with this. -TSK**


End file.
